Porto, Sept. 4, 2024 (Lusa) - The European Commission has chosen the Portuguese regions of Norte, Centro, Área Metropolitana de Lisboa, Alentejo and Autónoma dos Açores as Regional Innovation Valleys, a classification awarded by the Commissioners for Cohesion and Innovation, it announced on Wednesday.
According to a statement issued today by the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N), in a letter sent to the region by the Commissioners for Cohesion and Reform, Elisa Ferreira, and for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Iliana Ivanova, the North has made "a clear commitment to coordinating and channelling its research and innovation investments and policies to support key social challenges for the European Union".
These include measures such as "reducing dependence on fossil fuels, mastering digital transformation (including cybersecurity), improving healthcare, promoting circularity and increasing food security".
In addition to the Norte region, the Centre, Área Metropolitana de Lisboa, Alentejo and Autónoma dos Açores regions were also awarded the classification out of 149 European regions.
A label is awarded with the election of the five regions as Regional Innovation Valleys.
The Regional Innovation Valleys initiative aims to bridge the innovation gap between regions by strengthening regional innovation ecosystems, which is in line with the objectives of the New European Agenda for Innovation and Cohesion Policy.
According to CCDR-Norte, the label "honours the efforts of recent years to adopt a regional strategy of its own and confirms the conditions for the North's innovation ecosystem to participate in the European innovation agenda through projects with other regions with a similar specialisation profile or complementary skills".
The CCDR-Norte "has identified reducing economic dependence on fossil fuels as its main challenge but intends to commit to and act in all the innovation areas considered in the New European Innovation Agenda, such as renewable energies, the circular economy, the digital transition, food safety and the public health system".
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